Todd Starnes, writing for www.foxnews.com/opinion, says that a newspaper in Knoxville, TN did not publish an advertisement that contained the word “Christianity” because it was offensive. It is not clear why it was considered offensive nor was it explained clearly to the Cedar Springs Christian Store owner who wanted to run the ad or the reading public.
When it was revealed that this had taken place, people were up-in-arms about the slight that Christianity received. But why should this surprise us? Jesus very clearly said in the gospel of John 15:18, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” He told us well ahead of time that the world would hate His followers.
But why do they hate us? The answer can be found by simply turning to the Bible. In John 7:7 Jesus said, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” If we are His followers, we will be looked at as He was viewed by the world.
As we do the research about this troubling topic, we must read the immediate context of what Jesus is referring to in John 15:18-25. This also clears up what Jesus said in John 7:7. “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know Him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’”
Much could be written on this passage but what should stand out for Christians is that you will be looked down upon and hated because of Who you believe in. The Perfect Man came into the world and the imperfect world hated Him. A further conclusion is that those who follow Him will also be hated.
If you have followed the news, you will see that there are many Christians being displaced and killed simply because of their faith. In this part of the world it seems they are looked down upon or hated because of perceived “intolerance.” We are seen as bigoted and hateful instead of loving and accepting.
Jesus also said in the passage that they hated Him without a cause; there was no reason they should hate Him. Only truth was spoken by Jesus, but the truth hurts and that is why they hated Him.
In the John 7:7 verse Jesus points out the sin in the world and in mankind. People don’t like to have their sins pointed out and Jesus was crucified for speaking the truth. John 15 points out that if they hated Jesus, it means that His Father is hated by the world too.
Jesus had a lot to say about how His followers were going to be received by a sinful world. It should be no surprise then that Christians take the brunt of the hatred of the world and are marginalized in our society. Then again, we are not being pursued and persecuted unto death because of our belief in Jesus. Many Christians throughout the world are being much more severely tested than we here in the United States.
We must do the research of the Scriptures to see what it says about Christians being persecuted and why they were persecuted. And we must research the Scriptures to see how we are to live and speak into the world in which our gracious Father has placed us.
If we do the research, our point of view and how we approach every situation will change. We must, as followers of Jesus, as Christians, take on the character of our Savior in all spheres of life. Yes, we must talk about sin and that it is against God, but do it with the attitude that Jesus had.
He came to this world out of love to reconcile mankind with His Father. And He did it at the cost of His own blood and body so that mankind might know that the Creator loves them and desires a deep, abiding relationship.
Everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious ideal. Yet, He did not and does not allow us to wallow in our sin but rather has supplied a remedy for the disease of sin. That remedy is belief in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation and a relationship with the Creator of the universe.
Research the Bible and see what God reveals to you. If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, you will struggle mightily with understanding the greatest Book of all time. Come to Him humbly and receive Him as your Savior and then ask Him to teach you about Himself through His perfect word.